It is midsummer in one of the hottest droughts on record, but most Eastern Cape dams are still 76% full.
The problem, said Water and Sanitation Minister Nomvula Mokonyane yesterday as she handed 10 new water trucks to five Eastern Cape district municipalities, lay with the municipal administration of water supplies.
She said there were problems with the administration of municipal water reticulation systems and the distribution of water from dams to communities.
As part of a longer-term solution, it had been decided nationally that Eastern Cape municipalities had to draw up and present dam safety plans to government.
“We will come back and demand reports from all municipalities. They must give us information on their dams so that we can look at them and see if they meet the required standards.”
Government would also partner with Amatola Water Board within the next six months to craft a single water master plan for the province.
“At the moment, everyone is busy backing their own thing,” she said.
The Minister, accompanied by co-operative governance and traditional affairs MEC Fikile Xasa, health MEC Dr Pumza Dyantyi and the mayors of three districts ravaged by drought, visited two depleted dams which supply water to residents of Dutywa in Mbashe municipality.
Afterwards, Mokonyane said her department and the Eastern Cape government had resolved to send a team of experts to the districts to assess the state of municipal-run dams.
“These , by definition, are not necessarily dams because they don’t even have a permanent source other than rain. How do you then claim Mbashe has two sources of water?” she said.
“We’ve since agreed to bring teams together with MEC Xasa to deal with dam safety that will do a full assessment of these two sites and check if we can continue to use them as dams.”
She said this would also apply to other municipalities in the province, with the process being extended nationally.
“There is no way that people of Dutywa can find relief from these two dams.”
The Minister said water tankers were only a temporary solution.
Joe Gqabi, one of the worst-hit districts, received three water trucks, while two other drought-affected districts, Chris Hani and Amathole districts, receiving two trucks each.
Oliver Tambo municipality received one truck and the Alfred Nzo municipality two.
The Minister said 25 boreholes, five per district, would be fixed.
Chris Hani district mayor, Mxolisi Koyo, said Lukhanji and Emalahleni local municipalities were the worst drought-affected areas in the district.
Shoes Dumzela, the mayor of Joe Gqabi, described the situation in his district as “very bad” and said he was happy to be getting three water trucks.
“They will bring some relief,” he said.
Mokonyane announced that she would reprioritise R18-million to help with the construction of a water scheme in Dutywa.
OR Tambo water services portfolio head William Ngozi said authorities had lifted some water restrictions imposed earlier this month.
“We have had rains that have helped a lot in the past few weeks,” he said. — sikhon@dispatch.co.za
Master EC water plan
The problem, said Water and Sanitation Minister Nomvula Mokonyane yesterday as she handed 10 new water trucks to five Eastern Cape district municipalities, lay with the municipal administration of water supplies.
She said there were problems with the administration of municipal water reticulation systems and the distribution of water from dams to communities.
As part of a longer-term solution, it had been decided nationally that Eastern Cape municipalities had to draw up and present dam safety plans to government.
“We will come back and demand reports from all municipalities. They must give us information on their dams so that we can look at them and see if they meet the required standards.”
Government would also partner with Amatola Water Board within the next six months to craft a single water master plan for the province.
“At the moment, everyone is busy backing their own thing,” she said.
The Minister, accompanied by co-operative governance and traditional affairs MEC Fikile Xasa, health MEC Dr Pumza Dyantyi and the mayors of three districts ravaged by drought, visited two depleted dams which supply water to residents of Dutywa in Mbashe municipality.
Afterwards, Mokonyane said her department and the Eastern Cape government had resolved to send a team of experts to the districts to assess the state of municipal-run dams.
“These , by definition, are not necessarily dams because they don’t even have a permanent source other than rain. How do you then claim Mbashe has two sources of water?” she said.
“We’ve since agreed to bring teams together with MEC Xasa to deal with dam safety that will do a full assessment of these two sites and check if we can continue to use them as dams.”
She said this would also apply to other municipalities in the province, with the process being extended nationally.
“There is no way that people of Dutywa can find relief from these two dams.”
The Minister said water tankers were only a temporary solution.
Joe Gqabi, one of the worst-hit districts, received three water trucks, while two other drought-affected districts, Chris Hani and Amathole districts, receiving two trucks each.
Oliver Tambo municipality received one truck and the Alfred Nzo municipality two.
The Minister said 25 boreholes, five per district, would be fixed.
Chris Hani district mayor, Mxolisi Koyo, said Lukhanji and Emalahleni local municipalities were the worst drought-affected areas in the district.
Shoes Dumzela, the mayor of Joe Gqabi, described the situation in his district as “very bad” and said he was happy to be getting three water trucks.
“They will bring some relief,” he said.
Mokonyane announced that she would reprioritise R18-million to help with the construction of a water scheme in Dutywa.
OR Tambo water services portfolio head William Ngozi said authorities had lifted some water restrictions imposed earlier this month.
“We have had rains that have helped a lot in the past few weeks,” he said. — sikhon@dispatch.co.za
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